It was a battle for the number one spot at the North America box office over the New Years’ holiday weekend between Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Based on estimates, the Disney/Lucasfilm blockbuster edged out the Sony smash by a mere $1.9 million to remain on top. However, that could change once the actual numbers are released on New Year’s Day. Sony may also have a shot at bragging rights for the four-day weekend should Jumanji beat Jedi at the box office on Monday.
In the meantime, the Skywalker clan is staying put. Down 27% from last weekend’s three-day haul; The Last Jedi scored an estimated $52.4 million from 4,232 screens this weekend to bring its overall domestic total to $517 million. That total was enough to push fellow Mouse House blockbuster Beauty and the Beast down to second place on the list of highest-grossing films of 2017.
Currently, The Last Jedi is the eighth highest-grossing film of all time –pre-inflation- at the box office. By Tuesday, it should become the sixth biggest of all time after it surpasses the $532 million earned by last year’s Star Wars offering Rogue One as well as the $534.8 million earned a decade ago by The Dark Knight. Where it finishes on the chart is entirely dependent on how fast it fades during the month of January.
The Force Awakens pocketed nearly $200 million in January of 2016 while Rogue One earned approximately $113 million at the start of 2017. The Last Jedi has been playing somewhere in the middle, which could translate to a January good for $150 million. That would help push Last Jedi up to the $665 million, which would land it in third place on the highest-grossing films of all time between Titanic and Avatar.
Overseas, the Rian Johnson feature pocketed another $68 million in ticket sales, which helped push the film’s global haul past the one billion dollar mark in just three weeks’ time. It’s the fourth film of 2017 to surpass the billion-dollar mark following Beauty and the Beast, The Fate of the Furious and Despicable Me 3.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle made plenty of noise in second place with an estimated $50.5 million from 3,765 screens. The Jake Kasdan sequel to the 1995 feature hit the ground running on December 20th and hasn’t stopped since. Jungle has commanded a great $170 million so far and should have little to no problem working its way to the $275 million by the end of its domestic run. Early foreign totals for the Dwayne Johnson action comedy currently stand at $50 million.
Universal’s Pitch Perfect 3 sung in the New Year with an estimated $17.8 million from 3,468 theaters, a decrease of 11% from its Christmas weekend haul. The comedy sequel has earned $64.2 million so far. A final domestic haul near the $100 million mark is possible, which would be close to 45% lower than the $184.3 million scored by the previous Pitch Perfect offering two years ago. Overseas, the Bellas have brought in $29 million so far.
Another music-infused feature, Fox’s The Greatest Showman, found some stability in its sophomore session following a quiet debut a week ago. The Hugh Jackman-headliner shot up 73% this weekend to score an estimated $15.2 million from 3,316 screens. The two-week total for Greatest Showman is $49 million so far. The film has brought in $35 million from international markets so far.
Rounding out the top five is the Fox animated feature Ferdinand with an estimated $11.6 million from 3,337 screens. Up 59% from one week ago, Ferdinand has scored $54 million so far domestically and an additional $72 million from foreign markets. A final domestic haul around $85 million is possible for the cartoon.
- Coco (Disney) $6.5 million (+22%); $179 million
- All the Money in the World (Sony) $5.45 million; $12.6 million
- Darkest Hour (Focus) $5.3 million (+36%); $18 million
- Downsizing (Paramount) $4.6 million (-7%); $17 million
- Father Figures (Warner) $3.7 million (+13%); $12.7 million
One new film enters the fray for the first weekend of 2018: Insidious 4. Fans of the series should show up for the latest installment, but probably not many beyond that. Watch for either Last Jedi or Jumanji to rule the box office once again.
Have a safe and Happy 2018, folks!
